


Woken Winds

by SwoodMaxProductions



Series: Winds of Change AU [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: AU, Badass Tetra, Blood and Injury, Concussions, Evil Daphnes/KORL, Foreshadowing, Gen, Good!Ganondorf, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Storms, Unconsciousness, Whump, dislocated shoulder, ganondad, worried friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26321323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwoodMaxProductions/pseuds/SwoodMaxProductions
Summary: The Forsaken Fortress deals with a weaponized Wind Waker, Ganondorf is knocked unconscious, Tetra saves the day, and the kids learn that their enormous protector is still human.
Relationships: Ganondorf & Link & Tetra (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Winds of Change AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1461016
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Woken Winds

In all her years sailing the seas, though she was only fifteen, Tetra had never seen the weather change from peaceful to borderline hurricane-force winds so quickly. The entire Forsaken Fortress was taking shelter in the deeper parts of the stone structure, Link holding a frightened Aryll close as Ganondorf half ushered, half pushed the children into the most shelter the atoll had to offer.

“Wait, where are you going?!” called Tetra as Ganondorf turned to go back out into the storm.

“Stay there! I have to get Naboris!”

Something was very wrong, and Tetra knew it. With Ganondorf outside and the other Forsaken helping each other to safety, Tetra knew what she had to do. She didn’t know  _ why, _ but she just…  _ knew. _

Making sure she left enough time for Ganondorf to not spot her on the way out, Tetra made for the door.

“Tetra, what are you doing?!” called Link.

“Shh! I have to figure out what’s going on! Something’s happening here, this isn’t a natural storm! Just… trust me, okay?”

And before Link could stop her, she went out onto the battlements of the Forsaken Fortress to face down the storm… and whatever was behind it.

~~~

“Boris! Boris, easy!”

The great bird gave a panicked squawk, but stayed hunkered down on the ground. Ganondorf reached out to stroke his beak, hoping to calm the frightened helmaroc down enough to coax into the main tower. He would never leave anyone else behind. Not even a bird.

Gradually, he managed to herd Naboris through the massive doors, battling against the wind with all his might to close them and seal the tower.

But he had no time to rest.

Especially because only moments after he managed to secure the doors of the main tower, one of the fortress’s enormous searchlights was torn loose by the scouring winds, hurtling through the air and slamming into the side of Ganondorf’s head. He didn’t even have time to realize what was happening. There was only an abrupt blast of stars before his eyes and searing pain— and then darkness.

~~~

There was a man. A man seemingly standing on the water, the waves churned up by the howling winds parting around him. Something clicked deep in Tetra’s soul. She didn’t know how, but it was him.  _ He  _ was the cause of this storm.

From what she could see, squinting through the driving rain, he was dressed in red and had grey hair. Despite the lack of details she could make out, Tetra could sense something about him, a strange sort of familiarity.

But that wasn’t going to keep her from defending her new home. She clutched her mother’s necklace in one hand, charging a blast of magic in the other. 

Not being a physical projectile, Tetra’s fireball of unleashed magic flew true with no interference from the wind. It struck the man in red, and the pirate captain cheered as he recoiled. 

He turned, and he looked directly at her. Tetra had no idea how she knew, she could just  _ feel _ his gaze, evaluating her, thinking about her. It was, quite frankly, creepy as all hell. The man in red did…  _ something _ with his arms, and as quickly as the storm had come, it rapidly began to die down. 

And the next time Tetra blinked, he was gone.

But creepy storm ghosts aside, their jagged little island home was safe now. She proudly turned back to return to her allies, emerging cautiously from their shelter, but something below caught her eye.

Her blood ran cold and she dashed down the stairs.

Lying in the main courtyard of the fortress was Ganondorf, a small hill of rain-soaked robes. Link and Aryll were the next to notice, crying out and running to his side.

Blood mixed with the rainwater on the flagstones, trickling from somewhere beneath Ganondorf’s hair.

Thankfully, as their horror mounted, Ganondorf began to stir, wincing at the pain that came with it as his awareness returned. He gave a gasp of pain when he tried to move, confused and disoriented. He was in the process of putting two and two together.

The wreckage of one of the searchlights told the tale. Apparently it had broken off and knocked Ganondorf from the upper walkways to the unforgiving stone of the courtyard below. It wasn’t clear exactly where in his fall he’d hit his head, but judging by the blood, he definitely had, at least once.

“Lord Ganondorf!”

Naku (it was Naku, Tetra could tell the Darknut twins apart now) ran to Ganondorf’s side, ears rigid and on high alert.

“Ah. Naku. ...I think my shoulder is dislocated.”

Naku carefully helped him sit up. Aryll buried her face in Link’s shirt at Ganondorf’s guttural cry of pain when the canine knight shifted his shoulder back into its socket. He lay back against Naku for a moment, panting.

“Hhngh. That’s better…”

He wasn’t going to give himself time to rest, though.

“However… there’s still the matter of the person who summoned the storm…”

“Sire,” said Naku almost frustratedly, “You have a  _ concussion _ .”

“I’ve had worse.”

“Actually,” said Tetra, “I chased someone off. He was some creep in a red coat…”

Ganondorf seemed to recognize that description.

“Oh…  _ no. _ We should discuss this inside. It is important.”

~~~

Tetra, Link, and Aryll were still reeling. Not from the storm, but at the wake-up call to the harsh reality that Ganondorf was not invincible. For all his intimidating size and might and intellect, he was still very much human.

The image of him crumpled in the courtyard, blood flowing freely to the ground, inert and vulnerable and the gripping fear that had accompanied that sight, the horrifying realization that he might be  _ dead _ were burned into their memories.

“His name is Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule. And he was the so-called king of the World Below. He carried himself in all of the ways a king shouldn’t. I think he didn’t want to risk harming his descendant.”

“You keep talking about how I’m royalty or something…” said Tetra.

“You are the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, just as I bear the Triforce of Power. The necklace you wear is a part of it. It seems only logical that the other half is in the possession of Daphnes himself.”

“Okay, that’s pretty awesome, actually,” admitted Tetra.

Ganondorf smiled just a tiny bit.

“Indeed.”

“...Um, Mr. Ganondorf…?” Aryll said, “are you sure you’re okay…?”

“Yes. I’ve recovered from injuries far worse than this. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

They all certainly hoped so.

He was a good man.


End file.
